Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

Their love of motor racing has brought the sister act of Dejeane and Ornealla Leahong even closer.

"Maybe if it were another sport we would not have grown so close," said Dejeane, 20. After all, the siblings had participated in other sports together, such as cricket and football, but got hooked on motorsport.

At the Dover raceway, Dejeane and her sister Ornealla, 17, take turns watching each other manoeuvre at top speed around the race track from the fence in the pit area and cheering in support of the driver behind the wheel at that time.

"When it is Ornealla's turn to race, I get an adrenaline rush and butterflies in my stomach. I guess this happens because there are some corners on the track that she is yet to manage confidently, so each time she comes upon one of them I scream to encourage and cheer her on," said Dejeane, a student at the University College of the Caribbean.

Up to last week, the finishing touches were being applied to their 'shocking pink' LeaPro/Catherine Peak/Spanish Court Hotel-sponsored Toyota Corolla, as the duo gets ready to participate in the Caribbean Invasion Race Meet at Dover on May 25.

"We need to change the computer brain in the car, to enhance its speed," said Dejeane, who is the more mechanically minded of the two.

Fear of crashing

Speaking of their experience on the racetrack, Dejeane said she is still working to control her fear of crashing while in a race, as she learns new safety strategies at Dover in an effort to protect herself and her sister on the roadway.

In the meantime, Ornealla, who recently graduated from upper sixth form at Ardenne High School, is more confident on the roadway. Although she has crashed at least three times since making her debut last August, the teenager is still hungry for action and eager to take her first chequered flag.

"The adrenaline is flowing and I am coming all out to win in the May 25 event," she said. In acknowledging the support of her parents - and particularly her father Wayne, who she described as the backbone of her team - Ornealla said: "Our dad will work right through the night to get the car ready, while Mom will prepare the meals and ensure that our driving suits and helmets are ready. She refuses to watch race … she is very nervous," the younger sister said.

The sisters are on a list of females drivers who are expected to participate in the Caribbean Invasion Race on May 25. They include Rhonda Nicholas, Marcia Dawes-Lamey, Lisa Bowman-Lee, Anakaye Dunkley, Natasha Chung and Michelle Delfosse. They will compete against the men, as there is no exclusive race for females.

"We would love to have a race just for the females, but we just don't have enough female drivers," said Hilary Jardine, president of the Jamaica Race Drivers Club.